In Super Smash Bros., what meter increases as a fighter takes damage?

In Super Smash Bros., the percentage meter increases as a fighter takes damage.

Unlike traditional fighting games, Smash does not normally use a health bar that simply counts down to zero. Damage is displayed as a percentage, and attacks raise that percentage. The number represents accumulated damage and helps determine how strongly future attacks launch the fighter.

As a character’s percentage rises, the fighter generally becomes easier to knock away, especially with powerful attacks. This creates the series’ distinctive win condition: players usually defeat opponents by sending them beyond the stage’s blast zones rather than by emptying a conventional life meter.

The percentage meter is not exactly a direct measurement of remaining health. A fighter can survive at very high percentages if attacks are weak or poorly positioned, while a strong blow can launch a low-damage character. In Stamina battles, Ultimate replaces the percentage display with hit points, making “health” a valid description only for that special ruleset.